Manila gets 3,000 doses of Sputnik V from DOH
By Susan G. De Leon
Mayor Isko Moreno (left) and Vice Mayor Dr. Maria Sheilah Lacuna-Pangan hold the Sputnik V the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Gamaleya Research Institute (GRI) of Russia’s Ministry of Health. (Manila PIO photo)
CALOOCAN CITY, May 3 (PIA) — Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Vice Mayor Dr. Maria Sheilah Lacuna-Pangan were at the Sta. Ana Hospital today to receive from the Department of Health (DOH) some 3,000 doses of Sputnik V — the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Gamaleya Research Institute (GRI), which is part of Russia’s Ministry of Health.
The vaccines, which were delivered via a Pharmaserv Express cold-chain truck, were immediately placed in the COVID-19 Vaccine Storage Facility located on the seventh floor of the hospital.
Domagoso said for the upcoming mass COVID-19 mass vaccination using Sputnik V vaccines, medical frontliners were going to be prioritized.
“Priority dito sa ating mga medical frontliners. ‘Yung mga nasa A1 category na hindi pa nakapagpabakuna,” Mayor Isko said.
The mayor said Manila Health Department (MHD) chief Dr. Arnold “Poks” Pangan will be coordinating with the directors of the city’s six district hospitals — the Ospital ng Sampaloc, Sta. Ana Hospital, Ospital ng Maynila, Gat Andres Bonifacio Medical Center, Justice Jose Abad Santos Memorial Medical Hospital, and Ospital ng Tondo — to determine how many health care workers were going to get the Sputnik V jab.
In the event that there are still Sputnik V vaccines left after those in the A1 category are served, then they will be available for those in the A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons aged 18 to 59 with comorbidities) categories.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Sputnik V on March 19, 2021. With an efficacy rate of 91.6 percent, Sputnik V is authorized to be used in 64 countries with a total population of over 3.2 billion people. The reported side effects for Sputnik V include flu-like symptoms, arm soreness, and headaches. The storage temperature for the vaccine is at +2 °C to +8 °C (+35.6 to +46.4 °F).
The 3,000 doses of Sputnik V were allocated to the City of Manila by the DOH. The agency had received a total of 15,000 doses of Sputnik V on May 1. To recall, presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque Jr. had referred to this particular batch of vaccines as the country’s “trial order of Sputnik V.”
Like most of the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available, Sputnik V requires two doses. An official Sputnik V press release quotes GRI director general Dr. Alexander Gintsburg on the interval between the two doses: “We believe it is possible to increase the minimum interval between the first and second vaccine shots from the earlier approved 21 days up to three months. Extending the interval will not affect the vaccine-induced immune response, and, in some cases, will enhance and prolong it.”
Domagoso continues to encourage people to pre-register for the vaccines that the LGU would be giving for free at manilacovid19vaccine.ph. The mayor said he was happy to note that people now had increased vaccine confidence compared to a few months back when many expressed apprehensions over getting vaccinated. “Iba na ngayon. Kinakapos na ang bakuna dahil marami na talaga ang gustong magpabakuna,” he said.
As of 11 a.m. on Monday, May 3, at least 327,104 people have pre-registered via the said website. Out of that number, 79,561 have gotten vaccinated. Then, out of the total number of those who have gotten the vaccine, 25,337 are already fully vaccinated or have received the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.
In his past interviews, the mayor said, “Ang bawat isa sa atin ay may karapatang pumili ng brand ng bakuna. Ngunit sinabi ko rin na para sa akin, basta may EUA ng FDA Philippines ay gagamitin po natin.” (PIA NCR)
